Hernia sufferer wants surgery, not a survey (From Oxford Mail)

Hernia sufferer wants surgery, not a survey

8:57am Monday 12th February 2007 in

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A bricklayer told he will have to wait more than five months for a hernia operation at an Oxford hospital has been sent a survey asking him to rate his experiences booking his appointment.

Derek Risby, 53, is angry that staff at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Headington, have time to send out questionnaires, but cannot organise the surgery that will help him get back to work.

He said: "How can they send me a survey about my experiences when I haven't even had an appointment yet? They seem more interested in sending me this form than treating me.

"I don't feel like filling in this survey. It's a load of rubbish. Their priorities are all wrong."

As reported in the Oxford Mail last month, Mr Risby, of Ferry Hinksey Road, in west Oxford, has been struggling to survive on £57-a-week benefits since December, when he was signed off from his £150-a-day job.

His GP warned him not to work, because his hernia could rupture if he over-exerted himself. But his hospital referral was lost and he only received an outpatient appointment after we reported on his story.

Days after the consultation on January 30, he received a letter inviting him to complete the survey about patient choice.

It said: "We would greatly appreciate if you could spend a few minutes completing the included survey.

"Do not worry if you have not yet heard about your hospital appointment, as the hospital will be contacting you in due course to arrange this."

One question read: "Do you have any comments about the experience you had arranging your hospital appointment?"

Divorced father-of-four Mr Risby said: "I was told by the outpatient receptionist that it could be five-and-a-half months before I got my operation, although I could get a cancellation slot in the holiday season if I was lucky.

"It means my life will be on hold for almost a year. It will take me up to two months to recuperate before I can get back on site.

"I've spoken to loads of people and many of them say they've had similar experiences to me. The hospitals seem to be in chaos."

A spokesman for the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust said: "Not all of our patients give us spontaneous feedback on the quality of our services, and we, therefore, seek their views.

"It's important we know when things are popular with patients, and also when they're not working, so we can put them right.

"We understand there has been a delay in Mr Risby's referral reaching us. He's being treated as an urgent case, and we hope to have an appointment for him soon."